SA Canegrowers’ senior staff who recently completed the University of Stellenbosch Business School’s management development course say the intensive 5-month programme challenged their thinking on effective leadership while encouraging strategic and creative action in their day-to-day work.

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SA Canegrowers’ Regional Manager for the KwaZulu-Natal north coast and Zululand, Glantine Mashile graduated from the Senior Management Development Programme, while Development Manager, Makhosazana Dlamini and Mpumalanga Senior Agribusiness Advisor, Evans Mashego and Amatikulu Area Manager, S’ne Njoko graduated from the school’s Management Development Programme.

Mashile said his key learning from the senior course was strategy should come before structure in a company.  “That means developing strategy before implementing a company’s structure to make sure the entity doesn’t find itself doing the wrong thing beautifully!”

Human Resources Manager at SA Canegrowers, Karen Close said participation by staff in the programme was in line with the association’s strategic development plan where the development of effective leaders is considered a key sustainability goal.

“Our staff development programme was first started many, many years ago and year-by-year we have built on promoting effective leadership as a key managerial skill through coaching and development programmes such as the university’s School of Business management development course,” Close said.

Mashego said the course had taken him “way out of his comfort zone”.

“The course was really intense and there was a time when I thought I wasn’t going to get through it. I was so surprised when our group won the best researched project which was focused on the mining industry. It is an industry out of my comfort zone, which was good for me, it required a lot of thinking and working together with others as a team,” he said.

Njoko said the course had been an eye opener for her as he found she was challenged to think ahead using an unconventional mindset.

“With the rapid changes in the work environment, for example, the up and coming millennial workforce and the demise of the fourth industrial revolution, agility and innovation are now integral to any successful company. I learned how leaders are required to use unconventional thinking to make sure their teams buy into strategies and deliver value to our growers.”

SA Canegrowers Development Manager, Makhosazana Dlamini said she was already implementing what she had learned. “The content was so relevant to what we are doing at work. I loved it, it was great,” she said.

The University of Stellenbosch Business School Executive Development courses promotes broader self-awareness among the students and teach leadership attributes in the “ever-changing” business climate. It is geared to equip the participants with insight into business integration, best practice management and how to start thinking strategically in the workplace.

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